Wave Alchemy have announced the release of Dawn, a new plug-in which recreates the sound of the iconic EMT 250 reverb unit. As well as offering introductory pricing for the new plug-in, the company are also giving it away for free to anyone who purchases their Radiance plate reverb plug-in between now and 8 September 2023.
Released in 1976, the large (and expensive) EMT 250 was the world’s first digital reverb processor, and was widely praised for its clean and detailed sound when compared to the mechanical devices that preceded it. Wave Alchemy have used a combination of DSP and convolution to model the sound and character of an original unit — of which only 250 were ever made — as well as adding a Modern mode and introducing some useful new features.
The plug-in offers the same range of reverb times as the hardware device, ranging from 0.4 to 4.5 seconds, along with Low and High Frequency Decay damping controls. Along with the default Reverb mode, Wave Alchemy have also added a Space option, which offers much longer decay times for those wishing to create more dramatic creative effects. There is also a global Modern mode, which allows the plug-in to offer increased dynamic range and even clearer reverb tails.
The following section offers a range of parameters for shaping and fine-tuning the effect. There is control over the reverb’s pre-delay time, along with Low and Air dials that affect the low- and high-frequency response of the reverb tail. A Smooth control acts as a pre-reverb transient shaper, helping to focus on the body and sustain of the effect by suppressing transients in the processed signal (the dry signal is left unaffected), whilst a Duck knob applies level ducking to the reverb tail to make sure the dry signal stays prominent in the mix. Some modulation is then available using a Flux or Ensemble parameter, the first of which introduces spatial filtering and pitch modulation, whilst the second offers a chorus and stereo spread effect influenced by Roland’s Dimension D unit.
Yet more new features and functions can be found in Dawn’s Advanced page. Clean, Vintage and Gritty modes offer three different sound characteristics, the last of which is inspired by the circuitry of EMU’s SP-1200 unit. There is also a built-in gating feature, along with control of the release of the plug-ins ducking, and individual control over the stereo width of low- and high-frequency content. Finally, there is a four-band EQ which can operate in either left/right or mid-side modes.
An Advanced page provides a range of additional modes, controls and processing options.
Compatibility
Dawn is supported on both macOS and Windows (no minimum OS requirements are specified), and is available in VST3, AU and AAX plug-in formats.
Pricing & Availability
Dawn is available now, and is being offered for an introductory price of £37 including VAT until 8 September 2023, reduced from its full cost of £49 including VAT. During the same period, those who purchase the company’s Radiance plate reverb plug-in will receive a licence for Dawn at no extra cost.
